Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Jerudong

For one person, living is cheaper in Jerudong: $733 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Jerudong
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Jerudong Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Jerudong

🇧🇳 Brunei

$733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Jerudong

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Jerudong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $733 in Jerudong, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Jerudong $733

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,145 in Jerudong, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Jerudong $1,145

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,557 in Jerudong, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Jerudong $1,557

Nosara costs about 151% more than Jerudong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Jerudong is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$3.81 BND 4.88

220.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$23.83 BND 30.51

152.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.25 BND 8.01

20.64%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 BND 2.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 BND 3.03

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.02 BND 5.15

7.21%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₡773

$0.96 BND 1.23

79.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.53 BND 0.68

154.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.84 BND 2.36

-14.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.69 BND 2.16

87.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.20 BND 1.53

101.67%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.08 BND 2.66

71.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$9.20 BND 11.77

-19.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.62 BND 5.92

125.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$10.88 BND 13.93

25.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.05 BND 3.91

-23.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.17 BND 2.77

-25.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.94 BND 3.77

61.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.57 BND 3.29

-35.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.72 BND 2.20

116.28%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.07 BND 2.65

72.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$3.21 BND 4.11

-65.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.92 BND 1.18

177.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.20 BND 29.70

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 BND 4.31

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$15.47 BND 19.81

-68.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$3.86 BND 4.95

-41.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$3.41 BND 4.36

-54.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$11.52 BND 14.75

-23.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.42 BND 0.54

273.81%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$42.9K BND 54.9K

-49.13%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$36.3K BND 46.5K

-4.64%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$61.2 BND 78.4

52.67%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$22.31 BND 28.56

57.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$65.6 BND 83.9

-21.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$77.7 BND 99.5

-8.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$3.94 BND 5.04

98.98%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$490 ₡220.7K

$216 BND 276

127.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$9,845 BND 12.6K

20.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$77.6 BND 99.4

-31.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$92.2 BND 118

-39.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$101 BND 129

-21.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$73.4 BND 94.0

7.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.88

122.16%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Jerudong: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Jerudong

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Jerudong

$218 29.8% 37.7% $132

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Jerudong

$104 14.2% 50.6% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Jerudong

$149 20.4% 17.2% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Jerudong

$155 21.2% 28.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Jerudong

$86 11.7% 1.7% $1.5

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Jerudong

$21 * 2.9% 75.9% $66

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $24.00 in Jerudong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $218 – making Jerudong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇳 Jerudong

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

12:55 12:55 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

11,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.696 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.696 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Jerudong 17,200 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Jerudong

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Nosara vs Jerudong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 151%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,099 in Jerudong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $24.00 in Jerudong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jerudong, where all-in costs run around $733, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Jerudong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jerudong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Jerudong. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.